Deformable body and method for the production thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11835103-B2
Application number	US-201816761925-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2018
Priority date	Nov 27, 2017
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

A deformable body, wherein the body is constructed from a multiplicity of layers of a polymer construction material and in which a construction direction is defined perpendicular to the layers. The body preferably comprises layers with a multiplicity of curve pairs ( 10 ) which are formed by the construction material and which run in the same direction as one another, the curve pairs comprise in each case two periodic curves ( 20, 30 ) running oppositely with respect to one another, and the curve pairs comprise portions of maximum spacing to one another ( 40, 41, 60, 61 ) and portions of minimum spacing to one another ( 50, 51, 70, 71 ). In one part of the layers, in adjacent curve pairs ( 10 ), at least one portion of maximum spacing ( 41 ) of one curve is connected to a portion of maximum spacing ( 60 ) of an adjacent curve, in a further part of the layers, in adjacent curve pairs ( 10 ), at least one portion of maximum spacing ( 41 ) of one curve is not connected to a portion of maximum spacing ( 60 ) of an adjacent curve, in a further part of the layers, in adjacent curve pairs ( 10 ), at least a part of the portions of minimum spacing ( 50, 51 ) are connected to one another, and in a further part of the layers, in adjacent curve pairs ( 10 ), at least a part of the portions of minimum spacing ( 50, 51 ) are not connected to one another. The invention also relates to a method for producing the body and to a device for supporting and/or bearing a person having the body according to the invention. The boy may be used inter alia as a mattress or as a vehicle seat.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A deformable body, comprising a plurality of layers of a polymeric construction material oriented perpendicular to a construction direction,
wherein the plurality of layers of the polymeric construction material forms a plurality of curve pairs in periodic contact with one another, wherein the plurality of curve pairs run parallel to one another,
and wherein each curve pair is formed by multiple layers of the polymeric construction material, wherein the curve pairs respectively comprise two periodic curves running in opposition to one another, wherein the curve pairs comprise sections of maximal separation between the two periodic curves and sections of minimal separation between the two periodic curves,
and wherein, in a portion of the layers:
a) at least one section of maximal separation of a curve is connected to a section of maximal separation of an adjacent curve;
b) at least one section of maximal separation of the curve is not connected to the section of maximal separation of the adjacent curve;
c) at least one section of minimal separation of the curve is connected to a section of minimal separation of the adjacent curve, and
d) at least one section of minimal separation of the curve is not connected to the section of minimal separation of the adjacent curve.

2. The body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the following layer group is at least partially interconnected in a construction direction and is repeated at least once in the construction direction:
one or more layers in which at least one section of minimal separation of the curve is connected to at least one section of minimal separation of another curve;
one or more layers in which the curves are not connected to one another and are not connected to curves of adjacent curve pairs in one or more layers; and
one or more layers in which at least one section of maximal separation of the curve is connected to the section of maximal separation of the adjacent curve in one or more layers.

3. The body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a separation of the curves from one another in the curve pair is periodically variable in a construction direction in individual layers.

4. The body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymeric construction material comprises at least one thermoplastic.

5. The body as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the at least one thermoplastic is a thermoplastic elastomer with Shore A hardness ≥40 to ≤98 in accordance with DIN ISO 7619-1.

6. The body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a covering at least partially encloses the body.

7. A process for the production of the deformable body as claimed in claim 1 , comprising producing the body in an additive manufacturing process from the polymeric construction material.

8. The process as claimed in claim 7 , comprising producing the following layer group in at least one repetition in a construction direction, wherein the layer group is at least partially interconnected:
one or more layers in which at least one section of minimal separation of a curve is connected to at least one section of minimal separation of another curve;
one or more layers in which the curves are not connected to one another and not connected to curves of adjacent curve pairs; and
one or more layers in which at least one section of maximal separation of a curve is connected to a section of maximal separation of an adjacent curve.

9. The process as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the polymeric construction material comprises at least one thermoplastic elastomer.

10. The process as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the additive manufacturing process is a melt-layering process.

11. The process as claimed in claim 10 , comprising simultaneously discharging construction material from a plurality of printing heads at one or more junctures of the body.

12. A device for supporting and/or bearing a person, comprising the deformable body as claimed in claim 1 .

13. The device as claimed in claim 12 , comprising a cutout for a fan, a sensor, or a combination thereof.

14. The device as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising an aerator for passing air through at least a portion of the deformable body.

15. The body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each layer forms a portion of the plurality of curve pairs.

16. The body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each layer has a layer thickness of from 0.025 mm to 3 mm.

Assignees

• Covestro Deutschland Ag
• Stratasys Inc

Inventors

• Achten Dirk
• Buesgen Thomas
• Degiorgio Nicolas
• Kuenzel Jonas
• Liu Ting
• Wolf Maximilian

Classifications

• F16F1/328 Primary

  with undulations, e.g. wavy springs · CPC title

• B29C64/106

  using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material · CPC title

• F16F3/023

  composed only of leaf springs · CPC title

• A47C27/063

  wrapped or otherwise protected · CPC title

• A47C27/065 Primary

  of special shape · CPC title